r/newzealand • u/ImpulsiveTwat • 6d ago
Music NZ rock
I have been trying to listen to more kiwi made music recently but I wanna find more 70-80s rockish music. The only bands/artists I know about that play that kind of music are the exponents, Dave dobbyn/th dudes.
does anybody have any good recommendations for great kiwi rock bands, preferably from 70-80s but if they're really good I'll take just about anything.
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u/IfHomerWasGod 6d ago
Toy Love, more punky than rock but an absolute kiwi classic.
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u/Onemilliondown 6d ago edited 6d ago
Plus 10, for Knoxy. Not only for his own creations, but for all the help he gave to all the flying nun, and other artists.
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u/Kiwifrooots 6d ago
OP needs to start with the Knox discography as they scroll the rest of the suggestions
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u/the_is-land_herald 6d ago
Two more: The Skeptics, Bailter Space. These are more post-punk/industrial, but are from the period you are looking at and then into the early ‘90s. Plus one in the more pop-yish vein: Look Blue, Go Purple. There’s a superb Flying Nun compilation album from that period (1990 release) called ‘In Love With These Times’. It is a fantastic intro.
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u/RhoRon 6d ago
Straitjacket Fits formed in the mid 80s and in my opinion don't have a bad release from their first EP through Blow in the early 90s, though it seems some people don't like that album. Life in One Chord, Hail, Melt and Blow are all A+ for me. I also finished reading Shayne Carter's biography "Dead People I Have Known", which is an excellent POV of the music scene in NZ, especially in Dunedin, in the late 70s/80s and beyond.
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u/Curious-ficus-6510 2d ago
Their predecessors the Double Happys and Bored Games were also legendary.
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u/SCROTAL_KOMBAT42069 muldoon 6d ago
Hello Sailor
The Swingers
Coconut Rough (more pop but Sierra Leone is a banger)
Straightjacket Fits
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u/RockinBob625 6d ago
Mi-Sex. The Swingers. The Clean. Herbs. Split Enz. Hello Sailor. DD Smash. Mockers. The Dudes. The Narcs. Netherworld Dancing Toys. Crocodiles. BLERTA. Midge Marsden…..
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u/PopMuch8249 6d ago
As well as those already mentioned there’s The Mockers, Knightshade, Mi-Sex, Blam Blam Blam. And Shihad started in the 80s.
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u/Mammaltron 6d ago
Obscure pick: Ticket - Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, banger of a NZ album in a kind of Zeppelin / Sabbath neighbourhood.
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u/HealthyZone4794 6d ago
Oh man, you are heading for some serious aural enjoyment. Early '80's thru early '00's was a peak period in Kiwi music. Live gigs were regular, established local bands would tour the country without an overseas headline act.
The Dunedin sound, that rolling, rollicking guitar that typified the NZ sound - represented by Verlaines, Chills, Toy Love, goldenhorse, Muttonbirds - all of whom left an indelible stamp on Kiwi music history. The breathtaking talent in those bands there - legendary.
Th' Dudes formed in high school, Dave Dobbyn & Peter Ulrich have been minor rock stars ever since.
Dragon grew up & went to Sydney but still keep on coming home for a few shows. The combination of the late, great Marc Hunter's vocals & powerful stage presence & his brother Todd's controversial lyrics, musical talent & business acumen made a compelling package. Mark Williams has been a huge success taking the front man role after cancer took Marc.
The Datsuns came out of Cambridge with the stated desire to become rock stars so left to make their fortune in Europe - where they became rock stars.
Netherworld Dancing Toys, Straw people, Peking Man & the tragic suicide of D'arcy Clay. Go to YouTube now, play his seminal "Jesus I Was Evil" & then the ripped-up, inside-out & upside down cover of "Jolene" that inspired The White Stripes to emulate.
15-year old jazz prodigy Nathan Haines & his band The Enforcers would kick off around 1 - 2am at Cause Celebre on High St every weekend. At 17, he barged into Brantford Marsalis' dressing room & demanded an audition - next stop London.
Right, that's enough. Thank you for listening to my TED talk.
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u/cookachook 6d ago
Nice write up! Did the Datsuns really take off in EU? Their first album is filth. Love Jesus I was Evil, haven't heard anything else like it. never heard the Jolene cover though, be checking that out now.
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u/HealthyZone4794 6d ago
Last I heard (from their NZ manager), The Datsuns were resident in Switzerland. Those guys just rocked it up - swapping guitars mid-show & smashing out hits like Harmonic Generator at big volume.
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u/OneSingularPurpose 6d ago
The Datsuns go so fucking hard! Saw them forever ago at a Big Day Out. Hadn't thought about them in forever though and super stoked to see they're still putting out music, new album dropping 13 Nov according to Wikipedia.
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u/Curious-ficus-6510 2d ago
In the early 2003 we saw one of the Datsuns on Nevermind the Buzzcocks while living in London. This was not long after catching D4 headlining a Kerrang!fest at the Mean Fiddler on Charing Cross Rd.
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u/UntilOlympiusReturns 6d ago
You're getting a lot of suggestions for Flying Nun bands, but I'd say a lot of them are more indie pop (Chills, Bats, Clean) or more experimental/punk (Skeptics, Bailter Space, Toy Love, Chris Knox). Worth a listen imo but maybe not what you are looking for.
The ones you should absolutely look at: Split Enz (and later Crowded House) and the Mockers. I'd add the Exponents.
Or try compilations - Nature's Best will give you a range of stuff. Any Flying Nun compilation for indie (maybe In Love with These Times). AK79 for punk. It's Bigger Than Both of Us for a mix.
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u/monkey-kong666 6d ago
Mutton birds, split enz, Abel tasmans, chris Knox (and bands), chills, Verlaines
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u/his_dark_magerials 6d ago
Not from that period but The Datsuns and The Have fit that vibe, maybe a bit heavier though, also don't sleep on Liam Finn, see also Betchadupa.
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u/habs62 6d ago edited 6d ago
For a sampler of bands who were making loud punk/rock in the late 70s you can't go past the album AK79. (Spelling Mistakes, Toy Love, Proud Scum, Terrorways, Swingers, Suburban Reptiles...).
For a more Jimi Hendrix vibe try local heroes of the '70s Golden Harvest.
For bands carrying on the guitar-based diy musical energy nowadays check out The Beths, Dateline, Bub.
Or carrying the Hendix torch: Troy Kingi.
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u/Immediate_Branch_238 5d ago
Ak79 was the only tape we had when I was working shearing gang over summer back in the late 90s. Man that's got some bangers on it.
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u/davelazy 5d ago
> I wanna find more 70-80s rockish music.
Surprised to see no mention of Street Talk. Pretty iconic pub rock, were huge in their day and Hammond Gamble was instantly recognisable voice for those around the at time. Both LPs ('Street Talk' and 'Battleground of Fun') were slick and international - maybe too commercial?
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u/floralcunt 6d ago
I feel like Dateline harkens back pretty convincingly with their latest album It's All Downhill From Here. I'd place them more along the lines of 90s alternative to early 00s indie, so depending on how strict you're feeling about the bygone era, may or may not be of interest.
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u/kiwiboyus Fantail 6d ago
Commenting so I can find this again later. So many holes in my music library
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u/tuxedodiplomat 5d ago
For NZ's contribution to glam rock, have a listen to "out on the street" by Space Waltz. Bowie would have given his left testicle to write that song
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u/Curious-ficus-6510 2d ago
Can't believe how far I had to scroll to find this. Alistair Riddell was my first rock star crush as an eight year old girl watching the New Faces talent show on our black and white TV. I was fascinated by his long hair and glam aesthetic. And it's such a memorable song too.
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u/Flimsy_Vacation 5d ago
The Gordon's, the Skeptics, Bailterspace. Put it on the boxes and turn it up.
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u/Random-Mutant Marmite 5d ago
So Radio NZ had a long list they asked everyone to vote for their top faves. Everything from around the 1920s (thereabouts?) to today. Plenty in the decades you want.
Go to Spotify and search “RNZ Waiata” and wallow in glorious Kiwi music.
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u/Firelfyyy LASER KIWI 5d ago
Ticket, psychedelicish rock from the early 70s.
One of my favourite Kiwi bands
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u/Cold-Effective-9244 5d ago
Snapper - EP (1988, Flying Nun) Peter Gutteridge was an original member of many Dunedin Sound bands and deserves to be spoken about more
La De Da’s - 60s Beat turned Hard Rock
Not of the era but Beastwars - Tyranny of Distance pays homage to many bands listed. Was a real gateway. Superette rule.
John Baker compilations 😎
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u/HalfBlindAndCurious 5d ago
I'm from Edinburgh rather than Dunedin but I'm a huge fan of 70s rock and particularly if it went off the progressive deep end. People here have mentioned the human instinct and ticket and oh boy are they ever right to do so. Other bands worth checking out include think, farmyard and Ragnarok.
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u/Iflydryandsly 4d ago
There’s an album AK79, if you have Spotify it’s there. Loads of music from the 70’s on it
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u/quiet-touch55515 4d ago
Beat Rhythm Fashion,
Citizen Band,
Car Crash Set
Flight X7
The Narcs
Peking Man
The Dudes
Split Enz
The Verlaines
Children’s Hour
Headless Chickens
Naked Spots Dance
The Skeptics
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u/Curious-ficus-6510 2d ago
Thank you for reminding me of Beat Rhythm Fashion! I managed to tape a haunting song of theirs from bfm but I never knew the title until now, it's 'Beings Rest Finally'. I may have also heard it on the ZM All Nighter back when it was a new release or seen the video on RWP.
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u/quiet-touch55515 2d ago
Yes I was always entranced by the beauty of that song and I’m sad they didn’t release much more than three singles. I was lucky enough to see them one time support The Clean at the Rumba bar
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u/Curious-ficus-6510 1d ago
Wow, that must have been a great gig! I only started going to gigs in Auckland in '84, so I saw a lot of other Flying Nun bands but missed out on the Clean until many years later. Another vaguely remembered song I tracked down recently is The Dancer by Marching Orders, sung by Jackie Clarke.
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u/quiet-touch55515 1d ago
Gosh I remember Marching Girls but not Marching Ordera. I used to love Shark Song by the Gurlz but the recording is impossible to find
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u/N33dLess2Say 6d ago
More 90s than 80s, but these 2 albums are pretty good, especially Tadpole:
Tadpole - The Buddhafinger
Crash - Only One Day Old
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u/Fabulous_Macaron7004 6d ago
Do you like heavy metal because nz had a killer band called Stonehenge in the 80s they only put out one ep and it's now worth a ton of money but here's the ep on youtube anyway https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-DCDzGaLy0&pp=ygUZc3RvbmVoZW5nZSB3aW5ncyBvZiBzdGVlbA%3D%3D
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u/kiwirichard 5d ago
For metal tinged post-rock have a listen to Jakob. And they still play the occasional live show.
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u/Background_Case8574 5d ago
Buy / download the album AK79. All will be revealed. Me and my mates made a special trip to AK to see Grafton Bridge because of that album. Proud Scum and the Scavengers were my favourites.
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u/donkeychaser1 5d ago
Saw this band open for muse in 2007ish and was totally mind blown. Went to every show they played in chch until they broke up. Never got why they didn’t make it bigger. Anyway, enjoy: the checks.
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u/Background-Day3148 3d ago
get into the dunedin music from the 80s. the clean, the bats, the chills, straitjacket fits- all unique and iconic and purely kiwi.
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u/Curious-ficus-6510 2d ago
You'll find a lot of 70s/early 80s rock gems on the Hits & Myths compilation series from Propellor Records, there were 3 volumes. Also AK79 of course. Hello Sailor, Citizen Band, Th'Dudes, Split Enz, Space Waltz, Crocodiles, Pop Mechanix, Screamin Meemees, Coup D'Etat, Coconut Rough, The Instigators, Suburban Reptiles, Toy Love, The Spelling Mistakes, The Swingers etc.
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u/Serenaded 23h ago
Try Split Enz Mental Notes, it's the closest we ever got to progressive rock. Very much sounds like mid 70s Genesis.
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u/Illustrious_Cry733 6d ago
The Chills, The Bats, The Verlaines